M’sian wins inaugural Australian publishing award

Proud moment: Shalini posing with her trophy at the International Convention Centre Sydney.

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian has been recognised for her work in the publishing industry in Australia, winning the inaugural Rising Star of the 2018 Australian Book Industry Awards.

Text Publishing Co marketing manager K. Shalini, 34, was voted the winner of the award which recognises emerging talent in the industry.

"I am very excited about it. Often, people behind the scenes don't get recognised even though they work very hard, and it is fantastic to be the first one to win it," she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The awards ceremony was held at the International Convention Centre Sydney on Thursday.

Shalini, who lives and works in Melbourne, was selected among five shortlisted candidates, chosen from 22 entries.

She won a trophy and A$5,000 (RM14,385) for use in professional development.

Shalini, who has lived in Australia for 18 years and worked in the publishing industry for about 10 years, said she hoped to find a mentor to learn about marketing and publishing.

She said she had initiated a mentorship programme with the NSW Writers Centre to develop the work of emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers in Australia.

"Text Publishing, the company I work for, is an award-winning publisher.

"We want to improve the diversity of our publishing list and provide support to early-career indigenous writers" she said, adding that the company was open to those who wish to write fiction or non-fiction books and promote the indigenous perspective.

An avid reader from a young age, Shalini said that among her favourite authors were Australians Helen Garner and Jock Serong and international authors Junot Diaz, Chima­manda Ngozi Adichie, Flannery O'Connor, Patricia Highsmith and Lydia Davis.